Archives Alive!
Browse primary source-based activities that foster students’ historical thinking and visual literacy skills using records from the Archives of American Gardens and other collections.
The Archives of American Gardens, managed by Smithsonian Gardens, offers the public access to a collection of tens of thousands of photographic images of historic and contemporary gardens as well as records that document the work of landscape architects, garden designers, and a handful of seed companies, including W. Atlee Burpee & Co. These records help trace the history of a wide variety of topics ranging from gardening, art and design, and foodways, to business, advertising, and daily life.
These educational resources are made possible in part through the generous support of The Burpee Foundation, Inc.
Dig Into Documents: Primary Source Activities
Short activities that introduce primary source analysis strategies.
Grow Historical Thinking Skills
Historical investigations that engage students in primary source analysis to answer questions about history and civics.
How can people and organizations influence the legislative process?
Grades 8-12
The Business of Victory Gardens
How did the United States’ involvement in World War II impact the home front?
Grades 9-12
Learning Labs
Additional highlights from the Archives of American Gardens and other related archives for classroom use.
Primary sources documenting the role of women in sustaining America’s food supply in the World Wars.
Leaves & Lives: Letters from Gardeners
Select entries from the 1924 “What Burpee’s Seeds Have Done for Me” contest.